Sometime Around Midnight
by malfunctionjunction
Summary: Penelope is tired of holding back her feelings. On the eve of the new year, she lets herself go, and she knows he's going to catch her. New Year's Challenge for ChitChat Corner. MorganGarcia.


**A/N: **This oneshot is for the Happy New Year's Challenge on ChitChat Corner.

Morgan/Garcia. Proposal at midnight. Champagne. Fireworks.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds. I will never own Criminal Minds.

Please Enjoy.

* * *

_"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."_  
**Oprah Winfrey**

The clock had not struck midnight yet, and the air was still sharp and cold as it was on December 25. Her fingers had gone numb in the coldness, and she swore lightly at her lack of mittens. She should have remembered them, but in the rush of things, she had forgotten them on her bed stand. Several hours of knitting those, what a waste! There was no time for her to be a sour puss, not now. The wind bobbed her blond curls, each curl a different shade of pink and blue, and they whipped gently on the sides of her face. The air was cold, but it wasn't snowing. The snow had ended along with Christmas; the remains were still very present. Snow, melted and not, were placed in various spots in the area.

The streets. The sidewalks. The lampposts.

Nothing was safe.

Under normal circumstances, she would have stopped to admire the view. She adored the winter season and the snow it brought with it. In her rush she had to leave her admiring eyes behind, and the sound of her heels clicking onto the pavement was all that mattered to her. Her eyes flashed on her wrist watch, and her frown became pronounced.

She was going to be late. She was going to be late again.

He was not going to like that. He was not going to like that at all.

Penelope had become accustomed to punctuality. It was one thing about herself that she had taken the most pride in, her punctuality. When she was her younger, much younger, about in her mid to late teens, she had been so not punctual. The time and date would be in her head; she would remember it, but she could never make it on time. It not only frustrated her, but it frustrated the people she had to meet as well. Joining the Bureau, or being forced to join, either way, had given her the sense to wake up early, get ready, and be there at least ten to fifteen minutes early than scheduled.

On that December 31, sometime before midnight, Penelope Garcia simply wasn't going to make it.

That made her upset.

"Crap, crap, crap," she skidded around the corner, grabbing a lamppost to balance herself, "why did the subway have to close tonight?"

_Because like...it's New Years?_

_Uh-no. That's not why, silly!_

_Then why, all knowing wack job?_

_Because...wait...oh yeah, the snow was a problem._

_How?_

_Don't know._

_Sigh._

It didn't matter if the snow was a problem for the subway system or not. All that mattered, all that really counted against her, was that she was going to be late. Because she was going to be late, very late for that matter, he was going to upset with her. She didn't expect him to be too upset with her, unless he had something seriously planned, but she really didn't want to be late. It was one of her New Year Resolutions: Not to be late for important meetings. Anything he wanted or planned for her was important, to her, mainly because it was about and for her. Her thoughts were frazzled by time she made it to the busy section of the city, and her frown became a scowl.

It was busy alright.

Businesses were strangely open for the occasion.

Worse, it was crowded. It was extremely crowded.

She rolled her eye and stomped her feet. She swore underneath her breath so she wouldn't lose the precious energy she was going to need to make it to the other side.

"_Crap."_

* * *

Derek was sitting in a booth, by the large window, with a cup of hot chocolate on the table. A napkin was folded neatly underneath it, and he used his right hand to raise the cup to his lips and take two, tentative sips. A happy sigh touched his lips. It was good hot chocolate, and considering the weather outside, it was needed. He leaned into the cushion of the booth, and he rested his head on the edge. Strangely, he wasn't tired but felt energized instead. He blamed it on the commotion going outside the window. New Years tend to do that the mass majority of people living in the city. Fortunately, for him, he was not one of them.

"Is there anything else you need, sir," a waitress with bleach blond hair and a Marilyn Monroe physique approached him, "we have our New Year's special for 3.99 and you get a free refill too."

"Uh, no ma'am." He flashed her a white grin, "But thank you for your consideration."

The bleach blond waitress with the Marilyn Monroe physique blushed a dark shade of red and nodded dumbly at him before scooting away from his table. He grinned and nodded his head approvingly. Yes, he still had it. He could never look at a woman who didn't appear to love herself and simply let her go by. It wasn't gentleman like. He hadn't noticed the bell hanging above the door that signaled a new customer, and she wasn't happy with his behavior.

She wasn't happy at all.

"I hope you're having a good ol' time without me." She was out of breath; he could tell. Her voice was as snippy as ever, and when she made her way to his booth, he flinched at the severity of her glare, "I hope you're having a good ol' time..."

His grin faltered but didn't disappear. "Nah babe, just entertaining the masses."

"What masses?" She looked around the diner, "Oh, you mean your ego."

He clutched his chest in false pain, "Why you do me so bad?"

"Because you deserve it." She sat on the opposite booth, and gave him a flirtatious but stern stare, "You do know I just ran several blocks in four inch high heel shoes."

She blushed when he whistled impressively, but she dismissed his praise with a wave of her hand. "It was nothing, really, but you would have so owed me if I broke a heel."

"Put it on my card." He laughed and leaned back into his booth, "Now, lets get down to business."

"Business?" She stared at him curiously before it clicked, "I thought you were never going to get to it."

"I plan and will to," he chuckled, "I'm just waiting for the right time."

"Well, while you are waiting, I am going to order me some waffles!" The incredulous look on his face made her pucker up and release a sweet laugh that she had been holding back, "Yes, waffles. Waffles for the new year!"

She went on to order a plate of buttermilk waffles, eggs-sunny side up, two strips of bacon, and a large glass of orange juice. If she had been with anyone else, anyone else at all, they would have stared in confusion. Derek only sat on the other side with a small smile on his face, admiring, and then he went on to order the same meal minus the bacon. He replaced the bacon with two sausages, and his glass was filled with nice, cold milk.

She smiled at his milk mustache.

He always made her smile.

"What are we doing now, Hot Stuff?" Their arms were locked into one another's, and they were strolling down the sidewalks where numerous people were crowding, preparing for the displays that were soon to come.

"You're always planning these things," he laughed, "but we can go on the meadow, the one where everyone's going, to see the fireworks."

Behind her glasses, her eyes grew wide with childish excitement, "Really, the one by the donut shop? Really, really?" Then she hopped up and down, her curls bouncing softly against his face, and he laughed. He laughed and he laughed, holding her still with a calm gesture of his hands wrapping securely around her wrists.

He nodded, holding back his own laughter, "Yes Penelope, we're going to the big meadow."

"By the donut shop?"

He nodded again, "By the donut shop."

* * *

The meadow, by the donut shop, on a hill, wasn't as crowded as they expected it to be. It was crowded, that was expected, but it wasn't as crowded as they thought it would be. Couples and families dotted the bright, green grass with picnic blankets, meals, and other belongings brought from home. The pair searched for a spot, which was difficult to find because of the crowding, but they were able to find one, on the skirts of the meadow, by the lake. In the time that transpired, he saw her pull out a bottle of champagne, and when he questioned it with a quirk of his brow, she merely giggled and said, "That's for me to know and for you to never find out."

In her large handbag, he was never absolutely sure what she had in there.

"I'm full on waffles and bacon." Her giggles perked him up, and she sipped another glass of champagne.

"But drinking from the tap?" He couldn't help but laugh, "Don't you think that's going a little bit extreme?"

Her lips touched the bottle again, and he took that as his answer. "We don't have any glasses. Think of it as romantic impromptu!"

Derek sighed but smiled too. They waited together, her head in the crook of his neck, and their arms tangled in the other's. It was only a matter of time, sometime before midnight, that long awaited fireworks began to shoot into the sky. Blues, greens, reds, and yellows exploded in the darkness, providing a whole new meaning to life light. They stared on, their eyes reflected the colors exploding in front them.

"Only a matter of time Baby Girl," he kissed her forehead, "a whole new year."

She chuckled in his neck, "A whole new year to get it right."

The countdown had started. The big one was going to come out. They could hear the excitement rising in the people's voices. The numbers followed in synch, and everyone was delighted to hear it. They kept their ears open to it, but they weren't truly paying attention, not when they were so into each other.

_Five..._

_Four..._

_Three..._

_Two.._.

"Marry me." There was no hesitating, no thinking, only instinct fueled her outburst, and she eagerly pressed her lips against his before he was capable of responding.

At one she proposed. At one she smiled. At one she held him tight and didn't let go, and she was happy he did the same. It was all the verification she needed-to be smothered in love and affection.

* * *

**A/N: **It was tricky. Still, I do not like it as much as my previous challenge attempt. I believe I am getting better with romance, but sometimes it's hard. But I do hope you enjoyed this oneshot. All feedback is appreciated, but a review does help. Have a great week! *I did see that it did become repetitive-thank you to all those who pointed it out, I hope it rectified things and smoothed it out*


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